NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waialua, HI
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Waialua, Hawaii since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Douglas in 2020. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 15
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Waialua
The strongest storm to pass near Waialua was Dot in 1959, a Category 1 hurricane with 92 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Douglas in 2020, whose centre came within 47 miles. The record near Waialua begins with Dot in 1959; the most recent system was Douglas in 2020. Of the 4 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Waialua has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 59% of the 57 Hawaii cities on this site. The strongest of the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on March 18, 1982; its path came within 8 miles. Of the 15, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on April 23, 2015. Waialua has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 57 Hawaii cities.
Compare Waialua's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waialua
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | DouglasJul 27 | 47 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2018 | OliviaSep 12 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1983 | GilAug 3 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1959 | DotAug 7 | 68 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Waialua: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Waialua
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s2
- 1980s6
- 1970s3
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 1982 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 1988 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1971 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 28, 1971 | F1 | 8 mi | 1.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1963 | F1 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 1, 1963 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 1957 | F1 | 6 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 2015 | EF0 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 11, 2009 | EF0 | 16 mi | 0.36 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 25, 2004 | F0 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 11, 1989 | F0 | 10 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1986 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waialua
The Storm Prediction Center has no hail reports within 10 miles of Waialua since 1955.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waialua
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Poamoho Exp Fm 855.2, HI, 4 miles southeast of Waialua at 722 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 70°F; February is the coolest, at 76°F and 62°F. December is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 33.0 inches over 57 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from July to September. A night below freezing comes less than once a year on average. That 33.0 inches is more than at 15 of the 33 Hawaii stations used on this site (45%). Haleiwa, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Waimea Valley 892.2, HI): 52.0 inches a year, 19.0 more than here, and the same August average high, 86°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Mokuoloe, HI, 24 miles southeast, averaged 82°F in September and 76°F in February over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from June to October. Sea level at the Mokuoloe tide gauge, 24 miles from Waialua, has risen 0.70 ± 0.10 inches per decade from 1957 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 7.0 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 32 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76 | 63 | 4.8 | 6 | 76 |
| Feb | 76 | 62 | 2.8 | 6 | 76 |
| Mar | 76 | 63 | 4.5 | 8 | 77 |
| Apr | 79 | 64 | 2.4 | 5 | 78 |
| May | 80 | 66 | 1.8 | 4 | 79 |
| Jun | 84 | 68 | 1.2 | 2 | 81 |
| Jul | 85 | 69 | 1.1 | 3 | 81 |
| Aug | 86 | 70 | 1.5 | 3 | 82 |
| Sep | 85 | 70 | 1.3 | 3 | 82 |
| Oct | 83 | 69 | 2.6 | 5 | 81 |
| Nov | 79 | 67 | 3.4 | 6 | 79 |
| Dec | 77 | 65 | 5.6 | 7 | 77 |
| Year | 80 | 66 | 33.0 | 57 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Poamoho Exp Fm 855.2, HI (722 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Mokuoloe, HI, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Waialua
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 206 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waialua: 182 heavy rain events, 15 flash floods, 8 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $74,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on January 8, 2005. March has had the most flash floods, 7 of 15. Of the 51 Hawaii cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 15 have had fewer than Waialua.
December 13, 2008: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Waialua — 1 injured.
NWS: “Flooding on Farrington Highway and on Waialua Beach Road in Waialua forced officials to close the roadways for a time. Rising water in Waianae trapped two teenage boys in a stream, but both were rescued.”
June 3, 2011: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Waialua — 1 injured.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Waialua's ZIP code 96791 have filed 130 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $3.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from 2026-03-KonaStorm in 2026: 46 claims (35% of all) and $2.5 million. 45% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 38 Hawaii cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 25 have fewer than Waialua.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-KonaStorm2026 | 46 | $2.5 million |
Honolulu County, which includes Waialua, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 hurricanes, 4 fires, 4 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Lala, on October 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Honolulu County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for coastal flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes and tornadoes; Very Low for hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $517.3 million a year, the highest of 5 Hawaii counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $329.7 million (64%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Waialua
- Haleiwa, HI6 mi
- Wahiawa, HI8 mi
- Waianae, HI10 mi
- Mililani, HI11 mi
- Kahuku, HI14 mi
- Waipahu, HI14 mi
- Laie, HI14 mi
- Hauula, HI15 mi
- Pearl City, HI16 mi
- Kapolei, HI16 mi
- Kaneohe, HI17 mi
- Ewa Beach, HI18 mi
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